


You've Got My Heart Spiraling

by cosmiceverafter



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Comforting, Falling In Love, M/M, Natural Disasters, Rescue Mission, Romance, coming together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:34:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22794844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmiceverafter/pseuds/cosmiceverafter
Summary: They were all warned about the tornado, however, TK and Carlos weren't prepared for what it would do to their hearts in the process.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes (9-1-1 Lone Star)/TK Strand
Comments: 27
Kudos: 300





	You've Got My Heart Spiraling

**Author's Note:**

> I've been falling more in love with this TV show every week! Tarlos has taken over my heart. I just find TK and Carlos' characters so compelling. I cannot wait to see what the season brings. 
> 
> I wanted to take the episode with the tornado and twist it in a different way! I may eventually decide to continue the story. I hope you all enjoy! 
> 
> This fic was inspired by my Junkyard family! This is for you guys. Love ya'll.

**THE TURBULENCE WITHIN**

They were all warned about the tornado, however, the damage it caused in its path was something TK wasn’t prepared for. Living in NYC, one didn’t see tornados often.

The firehouse had been out and about dealing with damage control when the wind had picked up all around them. The tornado was clearly not done with this area. Not by a long shot.

TK had removed his helmet like a fool. But it was hard to see his surroundings with it on. The wind roared louder than a horn in TK’s ears, to the point he had to cover them as best he could. He wanted to remain cool and collected, as he always tried to be... but he was no match for this type of spiral. And he had been through his fair share.

When it hit, he was in a different area than the rest of the squad (he was so going to hear about his wandering off from either his father or Judd later on), so he didn’t have time to look and find a safe haven for them. There would be no time to get back to the group, not unless he wanted to be thrown half a mile. He looked around for shelter and had to squint because the dust was surrounding him like a thick blanket. In the distance next to the ranch, he saw what appeared to be an underground cellar. TK ran over feeling his body being pulled and sucked in by the spiraling destruction. But he pressed forward. 

With all the strength he had, he pushed the door up and was about to jump in, when a long wooden piece from what he assumed was from the barn, hit him right in the side of his head. _Hard._ Immediately, TK felt dizzy and all but fell into the cellar, landing right on his back. The wind was knocked right out of him. With a screech, the door was closed by the wind and he dragged his body up against the wall. He exhaled whatever air was left in him as if he had run a marathon.

TK tried to calm his body down the best of his ability, but the adrenal was completely taking over. He was purely in flight or fight mode at this point.

He felt sick to his stomach as he started to feel the blood run down his face. It was dark in there, but he knew what that liquid was. But at that moment, he didn’t care much about himself even though he knew he was injured; he only cared about his father. His friends.

And _Carlos._

Oh, Officer Reyes. They hadn’t known each other for very long, but in that short time they'd interacted, Carlos had slowly wedged himself into the shattered pieces of his broken heart.

TK thought he truly was broken. Unloved. Simply put: _Not. Enough._

But then his thoughts went back to the unexpected date Carlos had so carefully planned.

As he sat there bleeding, he felt the stab of the guilt of pushing Carlos away. It had been because he was scared. _Terrified_ really. It all started when his heart had pounded in such a way when Carlos smiled at him, that it nearly knocked him on his ass. _Every single time._

The guy had some mystified power over him, one that had some power over his emotions... and that was exactly why he had stopped whatever this was at a screeching halt. He couldn’t let someone else in.

He just _couldn’t._ It all but killed him last time.

So he had shut the door firmly in Carlos’ face. Physically and metaphorically. They had made up briefly, but he kept him at a distance. Even though it killed him to do so. 

He just didn’t think he could let Carlos in. Not in the way he so desperately wanted to.

TK attempted to push Carlos far from his thoughts as he heard the rumbling above. But it wasn’t an easy task. Just like the tornado was apparently unavoidable, so was Carlos from entering his God-forsaken mind.

But he tried to stay in the present moment. His situation was becoming dire. When everything finally quieted down, eerily so, he tried to call his father, but he didn’t pick up. Which made him worry even more. TK couldn't lose his father. They had been through too much together. He tried Judd next. No answer.

Just when he was about to throw his phone against the wall in defeat, he received a text. He assumed he didn’t have service down there, but the 'bing' told him a different story.

It was from Carlos.

His heart pounded, which he desperately tried to ignore, as he read: _Are you okay?_

He tried to text back that he was in the cellar on the ranch they'd been searching and was hurt, but he knew he was losing too much blood. It was hard to stay coherent at this point. Everything started to fade. But in his last few moments of consciousness, he pressed send.

*******

Carlos was about to lose it, he really was... until he received TK’s text. He was so happy that TK had asked for his number a few weeks ago. Who knew that it would come in handy, more so than just a hook-up? Even though he couldn't ever actually complain about those. He blushed even thinking about it. The guy was good... so good. However, all TK wrote was: _cellar._ He tried calling TK at that point; it went straight to voicemail. 

The thing about Carlos was that he always followed his intuition, and at that moment, he knew something was very wrong.

He had experienced tornados before, but this was something ungodly. Luckily, he found out where Firehouse 126 had been located at the time the destruction met their path.

When he had arrived at the scene, everyone was there. Everyone except for TK.

Carlos and his partner were there to add additional support, wherever they were needed. And when he didn't see TK, he knew he was needed right here. Captain Strand was about to lose it, but firefighter Judd was keeping him calm in a way no one else clearly could.

Even though it looked like hell-on-earth, Carlos's mind kept drifting back to TK. In a short amount of time, TK had stolen his heart. He didn’t mean to fall so quickly, but it had been effortless. Like falling asleep. Except when he was around TK, his skin hummed. He felt very much alive.

Their time together had rocked his entire world, and in response to this, he had unintentionally pushed TK too far. He just let his emotions take over him and unfortunately, it resulted in a wall going up between them.

The guy tried to explain it to him as a result of a broken heart and Carlos wanted to all but slap himself. He knew he should’ve thought about it first, but he had just acted. And he was a cop for God's sake; he knew how to be cautious in a new situation. But he had made the mistake of letting his heart take the driver seat. Not his mind.

They were now taking it slow and continuing to have fun... but he constantly felt the distance between them. There was nothing he could do about it either. He felt powerless.

However, that dense wall wouldn’t stop his frantic motive in finding TK.

“I’m going to go scope out the area,” he finally addressed to the group, not waiting for a reply. He took off in what felt like a flash.

The Dickson Ranch had been completely destroyed. He felt horrible for the owners, who were visiting family in Florida. Only a few workers had been on the land. Both were injured but it had not been life-threatening. His mind re-directed: One disaster at a time.

Carlos ran around for a while, looking under debris. Then he saw TK's helmet. His heart dropped, but he tried not to panic as he picked it up and held on tightly. _He's close by. He has got to be close by._ Carlos kept looking and that's when he saw in the distance what looked to be a cellar. Hopefully, it was the one TK was in.

He pulled the cellar door open with all his might and yelled TK’s name. _No answer._ Making his way down, his heart dropped.

TK was slouched against the wall, covered in blood and clearly unconscious.

“Oh my God,” Carlos whispered. He rushed over and knelt down by the guy. “TK, can you hear me?”

Again, no answer. This time he radioed Owen, “Captain! I found your son. We need medical assistance, stat!” When he got the okay, he gave the approximate coordinates and then had nothing to do but wait.

He felt helpless.

Grabbing TK’s hand softly, he squeezed. Even covered in blood and lifeless, the guy still took Carlos' breath away. He was so gorgeous. "I'm so sorry this happened to you." He squeezed that hand again, but this time rubbed TK's arm softly.

TK’s eyelids fluttered ever so slightly. _“TK!”_

Those beautiful eyes opened slowly and the guy actually gave him a small smile, “Fancy meeting you here, officer." He coughed, but then resumed that smile, "You look as good as always.”

Carlos wanted to flirt back, but his nerves were spiking. This clearly wasn't the time nor the place. At least TK was conscious. Carlos felt like he could finally take a breath. "Help is on the way, okay?” 

“I like you holding my hand,” TK replied back in a hoarse voice.

Carlos _loved it,_ but he didn't add that because TK was slowly closing his eyes. He knew it must be a concussion. “Stay awake, okay? Stay with me.”

TK chuckled quietly, “I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart.”

Carlos’ felt the butterflies fluttering around in his stomach. He couldn't help it. Carlos felt like he was always melting slowly when he was around TK. It had been so long since he had felt like this, and never quite like this. He really liked being this close to TK. The guy was injured but letting him in—ever so slightly.

For whatever it was worth, he would gladly take it. 

Carlos heard a holler and shouted up to them. When the team got TK out and Michelle was working her magic in wrapping him up with care, his eyes never left TK, who was keeping his eyes on Carlos as well. Neither apparently could look away. There was that connection between them again, the one he had felt the moment he had seen TK. 

But all good things come to an end eventually. They slid TK in the ambulance to get him checked out at the hospital, and their contact was abruptly broken.

Carlos looked down but then felt a warm hand on his back. He looked over to see Captain Strand smiling at him, “Thank you for taking care of my boy, son.”

“Of course, Captain. It was no trouble at all. Just doing my job.”

Owen looked over at him, clearly about to call his bullshit, “I think this was a bit more than that. But then again, I’m just the old man with great hair... what do I know?” He winked and made his way into the back of the ambulance. But before the doors shut he called out, “If you want to continue doing your job, Officer Reyes, then why don’t you drop by the hospital? I’m sure that’ll help him heal in no time.”

The doors shut before Carlos replied. He had a thought that the healing Owen had mentioned, was more than just about TK's current injury. At that moment, his mind was made up... no tornado spiraling physically or mentally would keep them apart. Not anymore.

He was going to take a leap of faith, even if it spit him out on the other side. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you liked it, kudos and comments are always appreciated!


End file.
